Have you ever used a shock collar to train your dog? and do you think it is ethical. My take on using shock collars to train dogs is that it should only be used as a very last resort. I say this because I personally think it is quite cruel, and not a very natural way of training a dog. I think it is better to try and develop a strong bond with the dog, enough so that there is respect gained, and no need to take such drastic measures. What are your thoughts on this?

I agree with you, Kyama. I haven't ever used one, nor do I think it is ethical treatment. Hopefully, there won't be any conflicting opinions on here. I don't believe in hurting a dog in any way. Even something commonly thought of as fairly innocent like hitting them with a rolled up newspaper, you shouldn't do it. I mean really, you shouldn't want to hit or even scare your dog anyway. I certainly understand how training can be frustrating at times, and you wonder if they're ever going to learn. They do though eventually, patience is key. And as everyone always says, consistency is the best method for training, and staying persistent with it. If you hurt your dog, it might just end up scared of you, which is no fun for you or your dog.

Never have I ever used a shock collar... I agree with you on the fact that it is quite unethical and horrible thing to do towards anything that is human at all. I managed to train my dog through patience and hard work, no matter how badly my pup was I had to put up with it but in the end it paid off. He would listen and at times he wouldn't but I would honestly never resort to using a shock collar or anything like that as a matter of fact, I also put myself within my dogs' shoes to see how it would feel.

I have never used a shock collar and I never would. I think that it's horribly cruel and unethical. I can imagine anyone who uses such methods being a good person. Like commenters before me, I think that it's unnecessary and wrong to inflict any kind of pain on your pet. Dogs are friendly by nature and as long as you treat them good they will be cooperative (unless they were traumatized in the past, of course). Some people just have unrealistic expectations from they dogs, they want them to act against their nature but won't even spare the time to teach them.

My hubby & I actually did try using shock collars for our dogs. I just want to say right off the bat that I was highly against it since I don't believe in teaching dogs through violence or pain, and I'm always the empathetic "soft" one that has a hard time even raising my voice at my dogs. We got the electric fence out of desperation, but in the end it didn't work and actually ended up backfiring on us, so I don't recommend using one.

We were having a hard time keeping our dogs (a 2-yr-old American Bulldog and a 9 yr-old Boxer/Pit mix) in the yard, even though we had a decent sized yard with a 6-foot privacy fence all around. They are both extremely smart, athletic, and adventurous and just wanted to RUN all the time. Sammy (our Boxer) actually hoisted herself up and over the fence, and Poe (our Bulldog) dug underneath. They ended up getting picked up by the cops and taken to the pound a couple times, so we really had to come up with a way to keep them in the yard. I didn't want to use a lead because then the dogs couldn't run around and play and wrestle like they were used to, so we figured if we could train them with the electric fence it would be the best of both worlds.

Well it turned out that Sammy was super sensitive to even the lowest amount of electricity (Poe would just run straight through no matter how strong it was set) and became scared to go outside. She ended up refusing to go outside even just to go to the bathroom and would just go in the basement instead. So, that was totally our fault and we ditched the electric fence.

Eventually Sammy went back outside and we just had to keep them on leads.
I know many of you are probably thinking that the dogs just needed to be taken out for more walks and exercised, but we would take them out for at least 2 walks/day and I would take them running at least 3-4 times/week. I think both of these breeds would benefit from having acres upon acres of land to just run to their hearts content, but sadly that is not a financial possibility right now.

Just say no to shock collars for your pets. I think this is extremely inhumane and cruel. I am against anything that would intentionally inflict pain on pet. There are better ways to teach your pet what and what not to do. In the end you are teaching your pet fear and not discipline.

Would you put a shock collar on your kids? I mean, if it's safe and harmless for dogs, it should be safe and harmless for humans too, right?

I would never use a shock collar on an animal. Who knows what kind of damage it causes them, both short term and long term. I doubt the manufacturers of these products are entirely up front about how safe they are. It just seems like a cruel way to try and get your dog to follow your commands. Plus, what happens when the power goes out or something while you are away?

I've never used shock collars on my Yorkies but lately I have been considering it :-( It makes me sad to think about having to go this route but I cannot control their barking! They are quiet all through out the day but naturally as soon as someone knocks on the door or rings the door bell, their barking is SO loud and out of control. It doesn't even help to yell at them to be quiet because they can't even hear me over their extremely loud barking.

I have never used a shock collar or wanted to use one. With my type of dog it's best not to let them off the lead anyway. But when Ihave seen other discussions on Shock Collars the general fedback is 'No, they are cruel' I suppose it would be like tazering a human and that would be deemed cruel if it was constantly used. personally I think they should be banned.

I have not used it and do not think that I will because I would not like to hurt my dog that way I do not even hit her when she does something bad so why would I shock her. I also think it is inhumane there are always other ways to stop unwanted behaviors so you do not need to shock them into submission.